After Two Years
by olive.eyes
Summary: Gabriella Montez and Troy Bolton broke up two years ago after being together since they were fifteen... After five years, there's a lot of history, so what can Gabriella do when she discovers Troy is back in town? (REWRITE BASED ON MY OLD STORY 'DANCE WITH ME')
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

I loved you. No matter how much I shied away from all the mistakes you made, as vital as they were, you ruined my perfect façade. "Please, take me back!" You had cried when I last saw you, in the cold November rain.

Did you even consider how hard it was right there, to say no? Because as much as it hurts you to cry and beg me for forgiveness, it hurts me twice as much. My last memory of you is walking into your room on a surprise visit to you in college.

The worst thing is wondering what could have been, if that hadn't of happened, if you hadn't betrayed my trust.

* * *

Walking into the nightclub with Sharpay and Taylor, I glanced around to look at the crowd already gathered. Fresh out of college, I was still loving the nights out with the girls, the opportunity to go crazy and get a little drunk. If you'd of seen me seven years ago, when I was fifteen, you wouldn't believe that I would be like this. I was geeky Gabriella Montez, the mathematician and scientist. I've changed since then. When I was eighteen and moving to college I wised up. I ditched the knee length skirts and baggy shirts for more flattering clothes, adopting a more carefree approach to life. This had worked until my last year of college, and when I was twenty I broke up with the person I'd always assumed I'd marry, and as a consequence not trusted anyone since. Now I'm in the hottest nightclub in Alberquque, single, and dressed in my favourite LBD.

The music was pounding, and we moved in time to the beat, fitting in easily with the packed crowd. Everyone got an alcoholic drink, except me as I was driving, and together we settled to watch the other groups.

All of a sudden there was an arm around my shoulder. "HEY GUYS!" Martha yelled above the music, pulling us all into warm hug. Kelsi gave us hugs too, and I patted her on the back, handing her favourite drink to her.

"Ryan is at home complaining about being left alone on girls night." Kelsi informed us, watching as Sharpay sighed. We had few rules for our girls nights, and she knew her twin brother better than any of us, and had no patience when he disobeyed our rules.

"He knows the rules." She shrugged, and Kelsi nodded, looking down into her drink.

"I know. I keep reminding him."

"Guys, look over there!" Taylor butted in. She pointed over to the bar where Zeke (Sharpay's husband), Ryan (Kelsi's husband), Jason (Martha's boyfriend), Chad (Taylor's fiancé) and someone I didn't recognise were sat. I would have laughed if I didn't get a slight pang of jealousy at the girls having someone there.

Kelsi's jaw dropped as she caught sight of the husband she'd thought was at home. "Aww… Hell no." Martha fumed. "It's girl's night!" She looked as if she was ready to go and murder Jason for showing up. Of our girls nights, the one rule was no boyfriends/ fiancé's/ husbands aloud. The night was here so we could see each other, and we'd had problems in the past with partners coming over and either dragging us away to fuck us, or getting in a fight with anyone who said anything like, 'she's hot.' We had past experience of Chad landing a drunk guy in hospital because he was checking Taylor out. And then nearly landing another guy in hospital too because he looked at me and said, 'I'd tap that'. Chad's the overprotective brother I never had.

"I'll sort it." I smiled. The girls looked over at me. "I'll sort the guys out. I don't have anyone over there, so it's only fair." I pointed out. Taylor nodded, and I walked over to the boys.

"Hey guys!" I smiled, and Chad's friend froze. The rest of the guys smiled at me sheepishly, and I raised my eyebrows at all of them.

"Sis!" Chad said quickly, hugging me. "How's Antony doing?" He was referring to my recent ex, who Chad didn't know I'd split up with yet.

"I broke up with him." I said, smiling sheepishly. Antony had been a lovely guy, but he just hadn't been the one for me. They never were.

"Gabby!" Chad frowned at me. "He was a nice one."

"Anyway," I backtracked quickly, turning away from Chad, who was now tutting disapprovingly. "To get to the point, you know the rules! Why are you here?" As the words left my mouth, I noticed the mystery guy turn around. My jaw dropped.

"No." I backed away. Chad placed his hand on my shoulder as I saw the shiny blue eyes that I had avoided for two years. Face to face with me was Troy Bolton, the guy I'd spent five years in a relationship with, had all my firsts with, and had thought I was going to marry. I felt tears come to my eyes as he rose from his seat and reached out for me. Coming back to earth, I recoiled away from his touch, snapping back to earth. "LEAVE ME FUCKING ALONE!" I screamed, and Chad let go, in surprise.

I backed away from the boys quickly, noticing them all stare at me in shock, and ran over to the girls, close to tears. Looking concerned, Taylor, being the mother hen as usual, caught me up in a hug. "What's the matter?" She asked, pulling me against her.

"I need to go." I replied, muffled against her body, and just as Sharpay was about to protest, I turned to leave. I didn't even make it a metre before Taylor caught my arm.

"Gabs, what's the matter?" Her concerned face brought fresh tears to my eyes, and I shrugged, a mixture of angry, hurt and hate all washing over me.

"Your fiancé brought _Troy_ here_." _I managed to get out, and Taylor's expression dropped into one of shock.

"I didn't even know he was visiting." She pleaded, and I shook my head.

"I just need to go." I twisted out of her grip and quickly made my way towards the door, turning back in time to see Taylor yelling at Chad. With Troy nowhere in sight I began walking towards the door once more, only stopping when I was outside, letting the fresh air hit me so I could finally breathe. I carried on towards my car, thankful that I'd decided against drinking tonight.

"Gabriella!"

I stopped in my tracks. I hadn't heard that voice in two years, and it was still as effective. His voice was deeper, huskier, but it was still recognisable as the one who was saying 'I love you' what felt like yesterday. Ignoring the voice, I forced my legs to move on, hearing the calls of my name still following me. I heard footsteps and sped up my walking, making it to my car and climbing in quickly, starting up the engine and only looking back when I could see him in the rear view mirror. Today wasn't the day for this reunion.

* * *

I only allowed myself to breathe again when I was safely at home, the door locked between me and the rest of the world. There, I let myself sink to the floor and sob the tears I'd been saving.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

I woke up in my bed, still fully dressed with my clothes from last night on. What was going on? My eyes were sore, my throat was killing me, and I felt like I had been hit by a train.

From somewhere on the mattress, I heard my ringtone go off. I scrambled around, trying to find it, eventually managing the grasp the iPhone and press 'answer'. "Hello?" I answered dully.

"Gabby you alright?" Taylor's voice came over the phone. "You left early last night."

"I'm fine, I just couldn't be there anymore." My voice was croaky, and I shoved my bed sheets away with my free hand, heading to the bathroom to get some water.

"Did you get any sleep?" Taylor's soft voice asked, and I rolled my eyes. She was so protective of all her friends that it continued to amaze me.

"Yes. About 5 minutes." I replied, turning on the tap and placing a cup underneath it. I took a long drink as Taylor thought her next move through. I could almost hear her brain ticking with what to say.

"Don't worry, I murdered Chad for you." Her voice came, and I swallowed my water, laughing slightly.

"Good. I hope that bastards happy." I replied, letting my mind wander to how different Troy looked now, opposed to two years ago.

"Which one?" Taylor asked dryly.

"Both." I replied bitterly. "Did you know he followed me out last night and tried to stop me?"

"Yeah, he mentioned it." Taylor said quietly.

"Why is he here?" I asked, hearing an annoying whine in my voice. "Can't he just stay in LA with his stupid Lakers?"

A silence passed over the line.

"Have you been googling, Gabby?" Taylor's curious voice came over, and I frowned, angry at myself for letting slip my tendencies to check up on my ex.

"Goodbye Taylor." I said quickly, hearing her laugh as I hung up the phone.

"Lovely." I mumbled to myself, heading towards my bed to put my cell phone on charge. Cursing myself, I took another sip of water, and went to grab some painkillers from the cupboard. Deciding to just ignore the crisis that was Troy Bolton, I swallowed my painkillers and headed to the bathroom to shower.

* * *

An hour later, a knock came at the front door, and I headed downstairs and towards the front door. I swung the door open, revealing Sharpay, Kelsi, Martha and Taylor. Kelsi, Martha and Taylor were looking at me expectantly, as if I was going to cry on them. Sharpay, as usual, scowled at me.

"Gabriella Anne Montez!" She scolded, looking down at my sweatpants and hoodie. "Here's what's going to happen. You'll let us in, and we will have a quick coffee, because although you look showered, you're not dressed, and you still look asleep. We will then go shopping for what is left of the afternoon, and get some slutty outfits before going out to a nightclub and partying until about 3 in the morning. Then we will come back here, completely and utterly drunk, and sleep here. Okay?"

I gave her a glare as she stepped past me into my house. "And if this _doesn't _happen, then I will make it happen by force. You decide." I nodded reluctantly. "That wasn't so hard, was it?" Sharpay sighed, returning to her usual bubbly self.

"I'll go and get changed." I motioned for them to come in. "But I'm taking my car." I warned. Sharpay held up her hands in surrender as they stepped into the house. Sharpay went straight into the kitchen to make coffee whilst the others went into the living room. Taylor waited for the others to leave, and stopped by me.

"How are you doing?" She asked, and I shrugged.

"Girl time will help sort me out." I replied, and she reached forwards, squeezing my arm.

"Go get ready." She told me, before walking through to the living room.

Sighing, I swung the door shut and walked upstairs to get ready. If you knew Sharpay, then you knew damn well that if you refuse her, it will be the last thing you'll ever do.

I walked into my room and put some natural make up on. One thing that hadn't changed about me was my dislike in heavy every day makeup. Walking over to my wardrobe, I swung it open, selecting a black summer dress with white dots on, and grabbing some brown gladiator sandals at the same time. After placing these on, I let my previously dried hair loose from the messy top knot I'd placed it in, letting the tangled waves free. With one last look in the mirror, I grabbed my handbag and phone and set off downstairs.

"Ready." I announced as I walked into my living room. Sharpay held up a hand, and I watched as she evaluated my outfit.

"Sharpay-likey." She announced, and I smiled at her, watching her nod proudly at me.

"Awesome. Let's go shopping!" Martha squealed, grabbing our hands and dragging us outside. I grabbed my house keys, locking my door before turning towards my car, and climbing in, following Sharpay's pink convertible to the mall.

* * *

Five hours later, and we were sat at a Starbucks, our feet surrounded by bags. We had bags from almost every shop. Victoria Secret, Abercrombie &amp; Fitch, and lots of stores I couldn't even begin to count.

"I'm shopped out." I told everyone, sipping my ice cold mocha frappucino in an attempt to rehydrate myself.

"Me two." Taylor nodded.

"Me three!" Kelsi smiled.

"Me four!" Martha closed her eyes and leant her head back as she if she was sleeping.

"Me five." Sharpay sighed. Suddenly she let out a squeal, and we all turned to her in alarm, throwing her questioning stares. "It's the boys!" She shrieked in answer to our non-verbal question, pointing behind us. I turned and glanced. It looked like Troy was here again.

"I've gotta go, guys. I don't want to see him."

"Stay, just for a minute, Gabby." Kelsi asked, trying out the puppy dog eyes that I was a sucker for.

"I don't know if I can, Kels." I threw her an apologetic look.

"Gabby, it's been two years, you've both changed…" Sharpay said, giving me a sympathetic look that told me this was one of the times we both knew she was right. "Just stay for a bit."

"Fine." I looked away. "But if I cry, it's your fault." Everyone nodded, and I saw Sharpay send me a small smile.

"Hey guys!" Chad's voice came. He headed over to Taylor, pecking her on the lips before reaching over to me and wrapping a brotherly arm around me. I looked over at Troy, and for a moment thought I saw a flash of jealousy in his blue eyes.

I looked down, shaking my head at myself. Who was I kidding? I obviously had feelings for Troy after all these years, I was wishful thinking that he was feeling jealous.

I rose from my chair quickly. "Guys, I really have to go." I reached down and picked up my bags, sending Sharpay an apologetic glance. "Sorry."

I started walking towards the exit quickly, heading out to the car park area. I was barely outside when I heard Troy's footsteps following me. I ignored him until I got to my car. Pressing the button I opened the boot, and threw my bags in there. Slamming the boot down, I turned to where he was stood a metre away.

"What are you doing here?" I asked suddenly, seeing the shock on his face at my calm voice. "You've been out of my life for two years. Why show up now?"

"Because you never let me explain." I scoffed.

"I didn't want to. There's never a good explanation for finding your boyfriend of five years with another girl."

"Gabriella that was a misunderstanding…" My breath went at the sound of my name on his lips, but I shook my head, disbelief coming over me.

"How can it be a misunderstanding?" My voice rose. "I was visiting you as a surprise for our fifth anniversary, and I found another girl naked in your room with you… I thought you were better than that."

"That wasn't me, you know that wasn't me." I could hear pleading in the desperate tone of his voice.

"Yes it was! I saw her!" I yelled. I couldn't help it. People were beginning to stop and stare. This was the argument we had never got the opportunity to have.

"That wasn't me! And if you'd stayed and waited for me to explain, maybe this wouldn't have happened!" He yelled back.

"Go away Bolton! I have better things to do than spend my time arguing with you." I finished my sentence with a wobbly voice, as I climbed into my car, running away again.

"Gabby…" His voice was soft and gentle, resigned. This was the voice he used to use when he didn't want to fight anymore.

But I couldn't stay. So instead I slammed the car door and drove away again.

* * *

**Please leave a review and let me know what you think... **


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Dumping my shopping bags on the sofa, I slouched down on the floor and collapsed into tears. I wiped them away quickly. Enough had been shed already. I walked up the stairs and grabbed my sweatpants from earlier, pulling them on. Through blurry eyes, I pulled a hoodie over my head and scraped my hair back once more, tying it with an elastic from around my wrist.

Another knock came at the door and I grumbled to myself. Why couldn't people just leave me to be miserable?

I swung open the door, revealing Troy there. Great. Now I was going to have to find out which of my 'friends' gave him my address. I automatically began to shut the door, and thought I was safe until it hit something hard- his foot, jamming it open.

"Can't you leave me alone?" I moaned, pleading with him. "I don't want to do this anymore."

"Just let me explain."

"Explain what?" I was beyond tears now. I was angry. It was enough to be cheated on two years ago, especially with the only person you ever saw as your happily ever after, but then to be harassed by them? It was getting to be too much. "I don't want to hear any more about how it wasn't you, it wasn't your fault." Troy looked down. "You keep saying that you want to explain, so explain! Tell me that the naked girl in your room wasn't there to have sex with you… tell me that it wasn't your fault."

A silence passed over us. "I didn't cheat on you." His voice was calm. "You didn't stick around to hear the story, I would never cheat on you, you know me, Gabriella."

"I thought I did." I spat, trying to close the door quickly and closing my eyes when he stuck his foot out again.

"I didn't want her there!" He said, exasperated. "I came back to Alberquque to explain to you! The least you could do is listen!"

"Oh, I owe you that, do I?" I asked scathingly.

Without warning, he shot forward, pushing the door open and catching my face in his hands.

"I just need you to listen, I need the girl I love back."

"It's been two years, Troy."

"They said I should stay away so you could move on." He was still holding my face, but his thumbs began to move, brushing against my temples. I struggling against closing my eyes in relaxation. He would do this when were together. "But I don't want you to move on, I want you with me."

"It's too late, Troy." I whispered painfully. I'd never been able to resist Troy, not even when I'd wanted to with every part of me.

"It's never too late for us, Gabriella."

And with those words he leaned down, connecting our lips in a long awaited kiss. He kissed me like he was a hungry man and I was his last meal, and I couldn't help but respond to him, wondering how I could have been missing this for so long. I clung to him, throwing my arms around his neck and settling into the rhythm we'd built up so long ago. My fingers played with the hair at the nape of his neck, and I felt his arms creep down to my waist before settling there, pulling me closer to him.

Running out of breath, we both pulled away, gasping for air and resting our foreheads against each other. I didn't realize I was crying until Troy wiped the tears from my face. I turned away from him, releasing him automatically and backing off.

"Gabriella?" He asked, and I could hear the concern in his voice.

"I can't." I fell to the floor, bawling, and he took a step towards me. I cringed away from him, and through my tears I could see his hurt expression on his face. "Please go." I begged him, and he hesitated. "GO." I shouted, and he jumped, nodding sadly before leaving and pulling the door closed behind him.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

The house was silent after Troy left. All I could hear was the sound of my tears and wails. Somewhere in between them I could hear my heart shattering.

He was getting harder and harder to resist. All I could hear was his voice in my head.

"_I don't want you to move on."_

I held my legs close to me, resting my head on my knees.

"_I want you with me."_

I choked. I wasn't even sure how long I'd been sat here for.

"_I need the girl I love back."_

The door swung open, and staring up I saw a blonde shut the door and rush over to me, not caring about her clothes in a rare moment, and throwing her Louis Vuitton bag on the floor before falling to her knees in front of me. Sharpay's arms wrapped around me, and she held me so tight it was like she was trying to put me back together.

"Gabby, let's put you in bed for a bit." She slowly pulled me to my feet, and I leaned on her as she helped me up the stairs. We moved at a snail's pace to my bedroom, and when we got there she put me in bed, pulling the cover up and grabbing a makeup wipe from my bedside table. "Close your eyes." She instructed, and I closed them, feeling the cold of her wiping my makeup off for me. When she was finished, she walked over to the window and pulled my blind down.

"Gabby, do you want me to stay, or do you want to be alone?" Her soft voice came.

My eyes flickered over to where she stood at the bottom of my bed.

"He loves me still." I whispered, my voice hoarse from crying.

Sharpay's forehead crumpled as she nodded. "We all could tell." I relaxed, pulling myself into a curled foetal position.

"And I love him too."

* * *

When I woke up, the room was dark. I checked my phone, and there was one unread message. Opening it up, it was from Sharpay, informing me that there was a problem at work that she'd had to go in on a Saturday to fix. The message was also to let me know that she'd call by after she'd sorted it, unless I texted saying otherwise. Feeling exhausted, I gathered all my energy and typed a quick message in telling her I was fine, and that she should go home. With that completed, I closed my eyes to sleep again.

I was just drifting off when the phone started to ring, and I picked it up immediately.

"Hello?" I asked, my voice croaking.

"Gabby, do you know where Troy is?" Taylor's voice came, sounding panicked.

"No, where is he?"

"Do you think I'd ask you if I knew?"

I sat up in bed, pulling the phone away from my ear to check the time. 10pm. "When did you last see him?" I asked, and Taylor sighed.

"At the mall… He followed you out and never came back. We didn't know what had happened, so we assumed he'd got a taxi back, but then me and Chad went out for dinner and he's not at home-" Taylor's voice got more panicked with every word.

"Tay, breathe." I rubbed my eyes, pulling myself from my bed and grabbing some ugg boots from my closet. "I'll help find him, you try calling him, I'll drive around."

"Okay, Gabby." She sounded slightly calmer, so I breathed. "I'm just worried. He isn't in a good place at the moment."

We said goodbye and hung up the phone. Who was in a good place right now?

I climbed in my car and set my phone on the dashboard. I was going to try all of his spots.

* * *

It had been years since I'd driven around Troy's Alberquque spots. I found myself going past the house that Troy had grown up in, which his parent's had sold before moving to Florida a year ago. I had to resist the temptation to climb from the car and get into the treehouse, with the only thing stopping me being the current owners' family having dinner through the window.

After an hour of driving, my phone erupted into the standard Apple iPhone ringtone. It was Troy's number, I'd recognise it until the day I die. I answered quickly.

"Troy, where are you?" I asked, my voice taking on a slightly hysterical edge.

"You sound panicked." A slurred voice came over the phone, and I pulled the car over to the side of the road, realising why he hadn't been reachable. Drunk and upset Troy did not like to let people know where he was- he did, however, like to call when he wanted to tell you his problems. This, I'd learnt when we broke up, and I received a phone call every night, resulting in voicemail messages that had stayed unheard for many months, and had usually only had two seconds worth of understandable audio.

"I am, Troy, so please tell me where you are so I can come and get you." My voice sounded strained. All I wanted was to know he wasn't getting himself in trouble.

All I could hear for a minute was his breathing. "Why don't you love me?" He asked suddenly, his voice childish.

My eyes squeezed shut and I leaned forward to rest my head on the steering wheel of my stationary car. "Just please tell me where you are, baby."

The 'baby' slipped out before I could stop it.

"I'm at that bar with the lion." His voice came, and I nodded, recognising the symbol.

"Stay there." I told him, hanging up the phone and turning my car around.

Today really was turning out to be an eventful one.

* * *

I arrived at the bar ten minutes later, and scanned the outside of the building as I pulled up. Sighing when I couldn't see him, I jumped from the car in my sweatpants and ugg boots, heading towards the doors. As I pushed the doors open two beautiful blondes walked past me, pushing past as if they didn't even see me. I suppose that's what you get if you wear comfy clothes out.

"Troy!" I called, and there was no reply. "Troy!"

"Er, Miss?" The bartender called me over. "Are you by any chance looking for the tallish guy? Blonde hair, blue eyes?"

I nodded, a smile coming onto my face. "Yeah, I'm here to pick him up, where is he?" The bartender shot me a sympathetic smile before tilting his chin behind me. Turning, all I could see was Troy asleep on a sofa, with a cup of water right next to him. I began to walk over to him, and as I crouched down next to him his eyes fluttered open.

"There's my Gabby." He smiled. "Looking out for me."


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5 **

When I woke up in the morning, I was in my spare bedroom, curled in bed next to someone. Sitting up, I looked next to me where Troy was spread out. Next to him on the floor was a glass of water and a bucket.

My mind flashed back to last night, and his refusing to leave with me if I took him to Taylors. I remembered calling Taylor, who had reminded me of my spare room. After I'd safely put Troy in my spare bedroom, he'd begged me to stay with him, and being the sucker I am, I had.

I looked over to Troy's face. It was peaceful. Man, was his head going to hurt when he woke up.

I heard a knock come from downstairs. I got up quietly and tip-toed to the stairs, taking them quickly. I smiled slightly when I opened it. It was Sharpay. "Hey…" She smiled softly. "How are you doing today?"

I shrugged. "I just feel mentally exhausted." I told her, opening the door further for her to come in. "I don't think I've ever cried this much."

Sharpay walked through to my kitchen, turning on the coffee machine and sifting through the cupboards for a filter. "It's hard on you, but you needed this." She told me, and I frowned, leaning against the breakfast bar.

"What do you mean?" I asked, and she stopped her searching, hesitating for a moment.

"Well, you two never got closure… So in a sense it's good to finally get it…" She paused, and I raised my eyebrows at her for her to continue. "And I think that if something happens there, you'll be happier than you have been in two years."

"Sharpay, he cheated on me… He had sex with someone else." I paused. "Nothing can happen there again, I won't let it."

She hesitated again. "I just think that you've been miserable ever since you broke up. I just want to see you happy."

"I know." I replied softly, reaching out and touching her arm. "But it's not going to be that simple."

She nodded and continued with making the coffee. "When were you going to tell me he's in your guest room?" She asked casually, and my eyes widened.

"I assumed Taylor told you."

"You can still mention it, Gabs. It's not against the law to have an ex at your house."

I shrugged sheepishly as the coffee machine whirred to life, the coffee beginning to trickle from it. "I just was looking after him, he was very drunk."

Sharpay looked up at me sadly, and I saw rare pity in her eyes. "We just all want you to be happy."

"I know." I smiled up at her. "I'll get there." An easy silence came over us, and a thought flashed through my mind. "Shar?"

"Mmm?" She looked over at me, frowning when she saw my confused face.

"How did you know to come over yesterday? How did you know I was upset?"

Sharpay looked away. "Troy called." My eyes widened. I hadn't expected Troy to send backup to help me out. "Don't look so shocked, Gabs." She shrugged. "That boy loves you more than you could ever imagine."

* * *

I'd been napping for an hour or so when Troy's voice woke me up. "I don't know when I'm coming home, Cara."

I froze from my spot on the couch. Troy was speaking to a girl.

"I'm staying with a friend, I'll be back in a week or so." I heard the creak of his weight on the stairs, and then the sound of his footsteps heading over to the front door, where I assumed he was getting ready to leave. "I know, I'll sort everything when I'm back..." I heard a slight relaxed chuckle. "I miss you too…" My heart was in my throat. He missed this 'Cara'. How could I be so stupid? He was obviously in a relationship, and he'd come here to cheat on her.

Once a cheater, always a cheater. I heard the phone click off, and his footsteps came closer to me. I stayed still, pretending I was asleep as he bent down and pressed a careful kiss to my head, running his thumb along a strand before walking over to the door and opening it, slipping out.

Hearing the door close, I reached a hand to my head, and sighed.

* * *

**Please leave a review and let me know if you're enjoying the story so far :)**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Shortly after moving back to Alberquque, we'd all decided that Sunday's were meant for 'family days'. Today this meant meeting at Sharpay and Zeke's house where she'd thrown food on the table and hoped it made some kind of sense. Scanning the table, I noticed some bagels, and picked one up, tearing off a piece and placing the bread in my mouth.

"Alright?" A voice came from behind me, and I turned, finding myself face to face with Troy. Looking at him only reminded me of 'Cara', and I nodded in return, turning away from him. I could almost feel the frown, alongside the stares of everyone in the room, who were all confused as to when we began speaking again. "Gabriella?" I looked at him, and raised my eyebrows. "Have I done something wrong?" He asked, and a flash of horror went through his eyes. "Oh God, did I say something stupid whilst I was drunk?"

"No, you didn't." I replied, and he raised a single eyebrow.

"So you're talking to me?" He asked, and I shrugged.

"I just don't think it's fair to be here saying stuff to me when Cara is in LA waiting for you."

A stunned silence came over him, and there was a long moment where he simply stared at me.

Suddenly, he began laughing. I stared at him in complete confusion as he roared with laughter in front of me. A wave of anger hit me, and I glared at him. I looked around, and everyone had stopped their conversations as Troy's laughter dominated the room. I flushed with embarrassment.

"I don't understand what's so funny, but I think you definitely need counselling, Troy." I spat at him, and he visibly attempted to calm down, tears streaming from his eyes.

"Cara isn't my girlfriend, Gabriella." He told me seriously, with a small smile still on his face. "Cara is my agent… she's lost a client for a bit whilst I'm not in LA, so she likes checking up on me." I felt my cheeks start to go red, flushed with embarrassment. I was such an idiot. He grinned. "But it's nice that you're jealous." My mouth shot open.

"I am _not _jealous… I'm concerned for womankind." I huffed, turning away from him. I could hear his laughter as I turned to walk over to Taylor and Sharpay.

"What's with him?" Taylor asked, and I glared at her.

"I really don't like him."

* * *

I was heading into Sharpay and Zeke's kitchen when I saw Troy already in there. I turned to leave, and heard a slight chuckle under his breath. My eyes narrowed.

"What are you laughing about now?" I snapped, turning around. Immediately his face dropped, and his eyes widened.

"Nothing." He said quickly, and I glared at him.

"Just for the record, I'm not jealous." I stated coolly, and he grinned.

"Of course." He spoke as if the words were there purely to make me happy.

"I mean it." I heard my voice taking on a whiny tone as I attempted to convince him.

"Is this like the time you weren't jealous of me hugging Alicia for making cheer captain?" He asked, his voice casual as my mouth dropped open. He was referring to the time that his friend Alicia (who I was still convinced had a thing for him) made captain of the cheer team, and they were practically clinging to each other in the cafeteria.

"I was _not _jealous!" I attempted to keep my voice relatively quiet. "You were just clinging to a very attractive cheerleader who was dressed in a very revealing outfit!"

I cringed as the words came out of my mouth, and looking over at Troy, I could see a smug grin on his face. Without a word, I turned around and walked out of the kitchen.

* * *

_**Sorry it's been a while, but here's a filler chapter.**_

_**Please leave a review :)**_


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